Windowless runtime control of dynamic input device

Abstract

Windowless runtime control of a dynamic input device is provided by a computing system including a container module to host one or more runtime environments, including a windowless runtime environment. The computing system further includes an input-device user-interface runtime application executed within the windowless runtime environment to receive dynamic-input messages from a dynamic input device while another application executed outside of the container module has active focus of the computing system.

1 . A computing system, comprising:
 one or more direct input devices;   an operating system for executing one or more native applications, the operating system allowing a single one of the one or more native applications to have system-wide active focus, and the operating system directing all direct-input messages from the one or more direct input devices to the native application having system-wide active focus;   a dynamic input device to dynamically display a plurality of input images to a user and acknowledge user input directed to any particular one of the plurality of input images;   a container module to host one or more runtime environments, including a windowless runtime environment; and   an input-device user-interface runtime application executed within the windowless runtime environment to receive dynamic-input messages from the dynamic input device while the native application having system-wide active focus is executed outside of the container module and receives all direct-input messages from the one or more direct input devices.   
     
     
         2 . The computing system of  claim 1 , where the windowless runtime environment is compatible with the container module and a native browser application such that applications developed for compatibility with the native browser application are compatible with the container module in an absence of the native browser application. 
     
     
         3 . The computing system of  claim 1 , where the dynamic input device includes a plurality of buttons at which different input images are displayed, and where the dynamic input device outputs a dynamic-input message that includes an indication of a particular button responsive to user input directed to that particular button. 
     
     
         4 . A computing system, comprising:
 a container module to host one or more runtime environments, including a windowless runtime environment; and   an input-device user-interface runtime application executed within the windowless runtime environment to receive dynamic-input messages from a dynamic input device while another application executed outside of the container module has active focus of the computing system.   
     
     
         5 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the input-device user-interface runtime application outputs display-output messages to the dynamic input device, the display-output messages specifying one or more images to be displayed by the dynamic input device. 
     
     
         6 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the input-device user-interface runtime application outputs system messages derived from device messages to the application having active focus, where the system messages enable the application having active focus to respond to user input at the dynamic input device. 
     
     
         7 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the input-device user-interface runtime application outputs display-output messages to the dynamic input device, the display-output messages specifying one or more images to be displayed by the dynamic input device, and wherein the input-device user-interface runtime application outputs a system message corresponding to an image displayed by the dynamic input device at a location to which user input is directed. 
     
     
         8 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the container module is a Microsoft® ActiveX® container. 
     
     
         9 . The computing system of  claim 8 , where the windowless runtime environment is a Microsoft® ActiveX® control. 
     
     
         10 . The computing system of  claim 9 , where the ActiveX® control is a Microsoft® Silverlight™ plug-in. 
     
     
         11 . The computing system of  claim 9 , where the ActiveX® control is an Adobe® Flash® plug-in. 
     
     
         12 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the input-device user-interface runtime application is a Microsoft® Silverlight™ application. 
     
     
         13 . The computing system of  claim 4 , where the input-device user-interface runtime application is an Adobe® Flash® application. 
     
     
         14 . A data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by a logic subsystem to:
 host one or more runtime environments, including a windowless runtime environment; and   receive dynamic-input messages from a dynamic input device while another application executed outside of the windowless runtime environment has system-wide active focus.   
     
     
         15 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 14 , where the instructions are further executable to output display-output messages to the dynamic input device, the display-output messages specifying one or more images to be displayed by the dynamic input device. 
     
     
         16 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 14 , where the instructions are further executable to output system messages derived from device messages to the application having active focus, where the system messages enable the application having active focus to respond to user input at the dynamic input device. 
     
     
         17 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 14 , where the instructions are further executable to output display-output messages to the dynamic input device, the display-output messages specifying one or more images to be displayed by the dynamic input device, and wherein the instructions are further executable to output a system message corresponding to an image displayed by the dynamic input device at a location to which user input is directed. 
     
     
         18 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 14 , where the instructions to host one or more runtime environments constitute a Microsoft® ActiveX® container. 
     
     
         19 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 14 , where the windowless runtime environment is a Microsoft® ActiveX® control. 
     
     
         20 . The data-holding subsystem of  claim 18 , where the ActiveX® control is a Microsoft® Silverlight™ plug-in.